Wine Composition
33% Chenin Blanc, 16% Roussane, 11% Grenache Blanc, 11% Semillon Blanc & Semillon Gris, 11% Palomino, 6% Viognier, 6% Clairette Blanche, 6% Verdelho
Winemakers Comments
Bright, light yellow. Outstanding aromatic purity and nuance to the pungent aromas of orange blossom, minerals, clove and mint. Highly concentrated yellow fruit flavors are perfectly framed and carried by harmonious ripe acidity. This wonderfully silky white blend really expands to fill the mouth, without any loss of precision. Finishes with great rising length.
Awards
Tim Atkin | 96 points
Wine Spectator | 93 points
Cellar Tracker | 91 points
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
14.5%
pH
3.08 g/l
Total Acidity
6.5 g/l
Residual Sugar
2.8 g//l
Cellar Techniques
The grapes were hand sorted by each individual berry for the entire production into small “strawberry” cases. Fermentation of about three weeks at a temperature of 24°C followed by a final maceration. The grapes are pressed in an old basket press and the juice is run off directly to barrel without settling. Some of the Chenin and Viognier are fermented for up to four days on the skins prior to pressing. The ageing takes place for 24 months on the lees.
Winemaker
Name: Eben Sadie
Winery
Eben Sadie is considered one of the great preservationists and visionaries in the new generation of South African winemakers. To Eben, the vineyard and fruit are part of the story—the truest expression of his art and philosophy. The wine writer Neal Martin recently called Sadie an “outspoken, peripatetic, terroir-obsessed winemaker who has been instrumental in putting Swartland on the map. He produces a small portfolio of comparatively expensive, but highly coveted wines based on Rhone varieties sourced from his seemingly never-ending search for pockets of old bush vines and unique terroirs. These are cerebral wines built to age.”
Sadie was founded in 1999, first wine was released in 2000.